Holder for lipsticks and the like



C. W. MELLETTE HOLDER FOR LIPsTIcKs AND THE LIKE Nov. V1.6, 1948.

File@ May 5o, 1945 Fi G. 1.

m42. ma.; F. 6.4.

/Nvs/vro? CYR/L w. MELLETTE Bf ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 16, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOLDER FOR LIPSTICKS AND THE LIKE Application May 30, 1945, Serial No. 596,660

The present invention relates to improvements in holders for lipsticks and other materials which it may be desired to dispense, and relates more particularly to holders of the general character which include within the structure a carrier which is advanceable and retractable lengthwise of the same, to project and retire the contents of the holder out of and into an end oi the structure.

For purposes of convenience or" description, the holder of the present invention will be herein referred to as a lipstick-holder, though the same is available for dispensing other desired materials.

t may here be explained that one of the outstanding objections to ordinary lipstick-holders of the character referred to, resides in the fact that the lipstick may be caused to smear the intert-or of the cap, either by reason of the restoration of the cap to the holder prior to the retirement of the lipstick proper, or by reason of the advancement or" the lipstick after the cap is in place.

One of the main objects of the present invention is to provide a superior holder for lipsticks and other materials, including an advanceable and retractable carrier and a cap, and so constructed and arranged as to effectively guard against the smearing of the lipstick against the inner surfaces of the cap.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superior holder of the character referred to, which will effectively guard against the movement of its cap into its normal covering position until such time as the lipstick proper is retired into the holder.

A further object or" the present invention is to provide a superior holder of the character referred to and having means to resist the advancement of the carrier after the cap is in place, to thereby avoid the likelihood of the lipstick being forced into engagement with the interior surfaces of the cap by the thoughtless manipulation of the parts.

With the above and other objects in View, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes Vall features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of an adjustable holder for lipsticks and the like, constructed in accordance with the present invention and with the cap fully in place thereon;

1 Claim. (Cl. 20G-56) Fig. 2 is a similar View but with the cap removed;

3 is an `elevational view with the shellmember and stop-sleeve removed;

Fig. 4 is a similar View with the actuating sleeve removed;

Fig. 5 is a central-longitu'dinal sectional View takcnfon the line 5 5 of Fig. l but on a larger scale;

`Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line B--B of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is :a View similar to Fig. 6 but showing the cap removed and the carrier fully advanced;

Fig. 8 is a broken perspective View ci the upper portion of the body-member detached; and

vFig. 9 is a broken perspective view of the outer end of the shell-member detached.

The adjustable holder which has been herein chosen for purposes ofrnaking clear one embodiment cf the present invention, includes a cupshaped carrier i0, a body-member Il which is substantially of tubular form in its main portion, a longitudinally-split actuating-sleeve i2 and a tubular shell-member I3.

The parts above described may be made ci any suitable material such, for instance, as sheet brass.

The carrier lli above referred to is adapted to move axially within the body-member il, while the longitudinally-split actuating-sleeve surroundsl the exterior of the said body and is frictionally coupl-ed to the interior surface of the shell-member I3 by its inherent outward tension.

The body-member il is expanded at its inner end to form a flange-like annular operating-head I4. Adjacent its .outer end, the said body-member is formed with a substantially-annular cutwardly-extending retaining-bead i5 which overhangs, so to speak, the outer edge of the actuating-sleeve 12 and's'erves to hold the same against axial outward displacement with respect to the body-member.

The body-member il is also formed with a longitudinal guide-slot l5 extending from a point closely adjacent the operating-head Hl and intersecting the upper edge of the body-member. The upper-portion of one wall of the said guideslot i6 is constructed and arranged to discharge theiunctionrof an actuator I1 for the hereinafterdescribed guard-finger 23, in a manner as Will more fully hereinafter appear. The portion of the Wall of the guide-slot I6 opposite the actuator H is cut away to provide a clearance-notch IS which provides clearance for the guard-mager l referred to.

The actuating-sleeve I2 is preferably rolled up from a sheet of metal and is formed with a helically-inclined actuating-slot I9 which is adapted to receive the cylindrically-contoured head 2li of a radially-extending actuating-pin 2i mounted in the carrier le) before referred to. The said head 20 oi the actuating-pin 2l is located outside of the wall of the carrier I@ and rides in the longitudinal guide-slot I as well as in the helical actuating-slot i9 for purposes of causing axial movement of the said carrier in the body-member l I when relative rotation takes place between the said body-*nember and the actuating-sleeve I2, in a manner as will hereinafter appear. In its upper edge the actuating-sleeve I2 is also formed with a clearance-notch 22 which is positioned to permit the free play of the latter described guardnger 23.

As before noted the actuating-sleeve I2, due to its inherent tendency to expand laterally, is frictionally coupled to the interior surface of the shell-member I3 so that, for all functional purposes, the said actuating-sleeve constitutes a part of the said shell-member.

Adjacent its upper end the shell--member I3 is formed with an integral guard-finger 23 which is so tensioned as to tend to spring into an inward position as is especially well shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

Tightly mounted around the lower end of the shell-member I3 is a stop-sleeve 24 having its lower edge flush with the lower edge of the said shell-member and having its upper edge adapted to be engaged by the lower edge of an inverted cup-shaped cap 25 which -has its interior dimensions such as to slip over the outer portion of the shell-member and to be lightly frictionally retained thereon.

To use the adjustable holder above described, the user may iirst remove the cap 25 and then by gripping the periphery of the shell-member I 3 with the thumb and foreiinger of one hand, the body-member I I may be rotated by gripping the operating-head Ill thereof between the thumb and iorenger of the other hand.

The turning of the body-member in a clockwise direction (as viewed from the bottom) will cause the longitudinal guide-slot I6 in the bodymeznber to bodily move the actuating-pin 2l to a similar extent. The bodily movement of the said actuating-pin will cause the same to be moved bodily outwardly by the appropriate wall of the helical actuating-slot I9 in the actuating-sleeve I2. The movement of the actuating pin 2l will cause a corresponding movement of the carrier I3 and thus ultimately project a body of lipstick 26 or other suitable material beyond the outer end of the shell-member I3.

Substantially as soon as the body-member I I is rotated as above described., the actuator I'I thereof will engage with the guard-nger 23 of the shell-member I3 and flex the saine outwardly so that the guard-ringer projects beyond the periphery of the shell-member in a manner illustrated in Fig. 7. The continued turning movement of the body-member Il until the lipstick 26 is fully projected beyond the open end of the shell-member I 3, will cause the periphery of the upper portion of the body-member I I to maintain the guard-ringer 23 projected into its outward position, as shown in Fig. 7.

Now should the user absent-mindedly attempt to apply the cap 25 prior to having retired the carrier ID and its contents, the guard-linger 23 will prevent this application.

The carrier I0 and the lipstick 25 carried thereby may be retired back into the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 5 by turning the bodymember relative to the actuating-sleeve I2 and shell-member I3 in a reverse (counterclockwise) direction from that above described, whereupon the coincidental action of the longitudinal guideslot I6 and the helical actuating-slot I9 will shift the said carrier and lipstick 255 inwardly. When the carrier II) and the lipstick 28 are fully retired inwardly as described, the clearance-notch I8 in the upper portion of the body-member II will be again brought into registry with the free portion of the exible guard-iinger 23, whereupon the said guard-linger will by its own inherent tension spring inwardly into the position in which it is particularly well shown in Fig. 6, and therefore within the boundary described by the outer surface of the shell-member I3. The cap 25 may now be restored into the position in which it is shown in Figs. l and 5 without interference from the guard-finger 23,

When the cap 25 is in place, it will act to restrain the guard-linger 23 from being ileXed outwardly, and hence should the user inadvertently attempt to turn the operating-head I l without having iirst removed the cap 25, such action will be resisted. The resistance referred to will be afforded by the engagement of the actuator I'l of the body-member II with the guard-iinger 23 which latter, under the conditions just described, is iirmly held against outward flexure by the presence of the surrounding cap 25.

Thus by means of the construction and arrangement of parts such as shown in the accompanying drawings and above described, the application of the cap 25 or its equivalent to the remainder of the structure is guarded against until such time as the carrier III and the lipstick Zt have been substantially fully retired, to thereby avoid having the interior of the cap 25 smeared with the lipstick or other material 25 held in the carrier II).

Furthermore, when the cap 25 is in place the inadvertent manipulation of the operating-head lll is guarded against to again, under these circumstances, guard the cap from being smeared with the lipstick material.

The invention may be carried out in other specic ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present ernbodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claim are inten ded to be embraced therein.

I claim:

In a rotary lipstick-holder of the type having a shell-member, a body-member rotatable within the said shell-member, a lipstick-carrier movable lengthwise within the said body-member, advancing-and-retracting means to advance and retire the said carrier by a relative rotary movement between the said body-member and shell-member, and a removable closure-cap telescopically fitting over the exterior of the said shell-member; the improvement which includes: a flexible guardmember carried by the shell-member adjacent its outer end and movable laterally with respect to the said body-member and shell-member into and out of the path of the said telescoping closurecap, the said flexible guard-member being springset to normally lie inwardly out of the path of movement of the said closure-cap, the saidv bodymember being formed-adjacent its outer end witha clearance-opening receiving the said guard- REFERENCES CITED member when the said carrier-member is in its retired position; and actuating-means adjacent The foliowing references are of record in the the edge of the said clearance-opening and having me 0f 11h15 patenti camming engagement with the said guard-mem- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS ber to project the latter laterally outwardly into Nkmber Name Date the path of the said closure-cap when the body- 1 n and shell-members are relatively turned in the Mois; et al Sept' 22 1301 direction serving to cau-se the said advancing-and- Ho man Jan' 31 1 39 i'etracting means t advance the said carrier, to 10 thereby hinder the inadvertent telescoping of the said cap over the said shell-member.

CYRIL W. MELLE-'I'IE. 

